"The Astral Gloom" is the second full-length album from the Danish/Italian black/doom metal band, THE RITE. It was released on August 11, 2023, on Iron Bonehead Productions. It might just be me, but black/doom metal seems to be trending right now. There are quite a few bands currently adopting this sound. Oftentimes bands playing this style get caught up in the extremes of the two subgenres and give little thought to how best to blend the two disparate styles. I'm pleased to say that THE RITE has found a synergy between black metal and doom metal on this album. The lyrical themes deal with Satanism and other blasphemous topics so practicing Christians will most likely want to steer clear.

The album begins with the sound of howling winds. Lots of black metal bands stop there and just let that be the intro. In the case of "Intro - The Evocation," the sound effects tell a story. An old wooden door creaks open and we are greeted by the sounds of someone inviting demons into their life followed by three knocking sounds and otherworldly howling. Now that's how you start an occult metal album. The first proper track, "The Spirit Of Mendes," begins with a classic slow, evil BLACK SABBATH-style riff. The following vocals by Ustumallagam are halfway between a rasp and a growl. They sound like something conjured up from the depths of Hell. The riffs are on point and the keyboard accents are perfectly placed. Most of this track plays out slow and heavy with just the right amount of fuzz on the guitar tone. Towards the end, the guitars speed up while the rhythm section and vocals maintain the same pace as before. After that brief outburst, the song slows to a crawl and gets spookier, ending with a clean vocal saying "Satan." After hearing that track for the first time I was excited for what was next to come. Spoiler alert, I was not disappointed.

The fourth track, "Under A Lunar Spell," begins with a thrash-leaning black metal riff. I was pleasantly surprised to not hear any tremolo picking. It's not that I don't love that style of playing. I just got a little bit burnt out from my review of the upcoming TAAKE album. It seems that THE RITE is more doom than black metal, but I digress. The fast parts are exciting and the slower parts are menacing, just as a black/doom metal track should be. Also, the transitions in tempo are seamless. I found the spoken clean vocals repeating the growled ones toward the end to be an exceptional touch. Couple that with the abrupt, almost jump-scare ending and I was hooked.

Track eight, "Naked When You Come" is a cover of a LOLLIPOPS song from 1966. The original is an eerie psychedelic-era track with somewhat morbid lyrics for the time. THE RITE make this track their own. The riffs are slow, heavy, and well-suited for the subject matter. The track is about how you are literally naked at birth and metaphorically naked in death. The keyboard work and placement are fitting and maintain the eerie quotient. The original version has a pleasing melody that is well-paired with the morose themes. The cover leans into the morose quality and makes it more metal. Listening to this reminded me of some of the unexpected covers that the band GHOST does.

The last proper track, "The Valley Of Megiddo," is a welcome return to form. This track is a roller coaster with peaks and valleys to spare. The transitions between the slow, marching doom metal and the faster blackened parts follow the natural flow of the song. It's a fitting capstone to a great album. The final track, "Outro - Sheol," consists of more howling winds and creepy, unsettling sounds, but runs just a hair too long. Once the mood has been established, it's not necessary to drag the track out for another minute, but that's just me being nitpicky. It would be amazing if all black/doom metal bands were able to find such great dynamic harmony across an entire album as THE RITE has done. Their sound isn't exceptionally innovative, but they deliver where it counts and with enough style to rise above the slew of other bands aping this sound style.